Burial-casket.



E.-M. THORNTON.

BURlAL CASKET.

' APPLICATION FILED JULY 6,1915.

Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH' CO WASHINGTON.

ELOISE M. THORNTON, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

BURIAL-CASKET.

Application filed July 6, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELOISE M. THORNTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Burial-Casket, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to burial caskets, and the principal object of the invention is to provide a casket which may be highly ornamented, but in which the highly ornamented part is not buried or burned with the body, this portion being used over and over as desired.

Under present conditions the casket is ordinarily buried or burned with the body, thereby entailing a very great expense which can be avoided by the use of my invention.

My invention consists broadly of a casket having a bottom on which the body may be laid out in its final position, and having removable highly ornamented sides and top which can be readily disconnected from the bottom and used again.

In the drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only: Figure 1 is an elevation of acasket embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through the casket shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section of the lower edge and bottom, showing the fastening means more in detail. Fig. 4c is a view of the upper edge and top of a casket showing the method of fastening the removable lining.

In the form of my invention illustrated in these drawings, 11 is a casket having a top 12 of any of the standard forms, and having highly ornamented walls 13, and a. removable bottom 14:. The bottom 14: fits tightly inside the walls 13 as shown in Fig. 3. being secured therein by the pin mechanism 15. The pin mechanism 15 consists of a tube 16 secured in the wall 13, a tube 17 secured in the bottom 11, a metal shoe 18 secured by means of screws 19 in the bottom 14, and a sliding pin 20 mounted in the tube 17 adjacent to a compression spring 21. The end of the movable pin 20 is rounded, as shown at 22, the spring 21 being of sufficient strength to force the pin 20 into the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

Serial No. 38,354.

tube 16 as shown in Fig. 3. A. zinc pan 23 is secured to the bottom 14, this pan having a raised edge 24 as shown in Fig. 3. Secured to the sides 13, by means of snap fasteners 25, is a silk or satin lining 26, this lining extending down and hiding the pan as shown at 27 in Fig. 2.

The method of operation of the invention is as follows: The casket being assembled as shown in the drawings, the body is placed therein resting on the lining 26 and on the zinc pan 23. The casket is used in the ordinary manner until the time comes for cremating or interring the body, at which time a suitable instrument is inserted in each of the tubes 16, pushing back the pins 20 so that the wall 13 can be raised, leaving the body resting on the bottom 14. The snap fasteners 25 are, however, first withdrawn and the silk or satin lining 26 is folded over the body, completely covering same. The body carried on the bottom 14: can then be cremated without other covering, or can be buried in a cheap form of cofiin, the highly ornamented top 12 and sides 13 being used repeatedly.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a burial casket a wall member, a top secured on said wall member, a removable bottom detachably secured in the wall member, a shallow metal pan secured on said bottom in which the body may be placed, and a lining permanently secured to said pan and detachably secured to said wall member.

2. In a burial casket a Wall member, a top secured on said wall member, a removable bottom detachably secured in the wall member, a shallow metal pan secured on said bottom in which the body may be placed, a lining permanently secured to said pan and detachably secured to said wall member. a bottom fitting tightly in the wall member, a series of tubes secured in the wall member, and a series of spring actuated rods so located that they engage said tubes.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California. this 28th day of June, 1915.

ELOISE M. THORNTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

